


The Care of Magical Creatures

by vaderina



Series: Prompt Fills [22]
Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Crack?, Get Together, M/M, the creatures mean well
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-06-25
Packaged: 2019-05-28 10:39:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15047072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vaderina/pseuds/vaderina
Summary: Filling this prompt: Percival's animagus form is a tabby cat, small, cute & perfect for spywork. But kitty!Percy has a secret talent, he can actually understand animals in his cat form & vice versa. Perfect for Percy really, he can threaten the niffler with prison, interrogate the bowtruckles, gossip with the real stray cats on suspicious individuals. But doesn't he realise, Newt's creatures all notice how Percy has a big crush on Newt esp since they understand his lovesick mutterings whenever he's around?





	The Care of Magical Creatures

A perk of being an animagus was that sometimes Percival could slink through the department without being noticed. It wasn’t a skill he often made use of but some days it was a blessing to not have anyone interrupt him as he made his way towards Seraphina’s office so he could bask in the patch of sunlight that hit her desk. Unfortunately his plans for a warm nap with maybe some head scratches thrown in if Sera was in the mood were cut short when he heard the thundering steps of someone running through the bullpen and a very distinct patter of paws skittering on the wooden floor.

“Keep up! That’s it. Back straight. No, don’t slouch. Oh for shine’s sake, you make me do all the hard bits,” a shrill voice rang through and Percival watched as the niffler jumped up onto a desk and charged from desk to desk. “Breathe through your nose or you’ll get a stitch.”

Behind the niffler Newt was red in the face and panting as he tried to recapture his errant pest. If Percival’s ears weren’t mistaken then the man was cursing up a storm under his breath. Idly he wondered how long the chase had been going on for but judging by the general state of both man and beast it was long enough. He took a moment to watch the niffler spring from desk to desk before he crouched down, wiggled into position and in one elegant leap he had the creature pinned to the desk.

“No!” Newt sounded distraught as he reached for Percival and the niffler. Before anything more humiliating happened Percival shifted into his human form and scruffed the niffler.

“I believe this is yours?” Newt grabbed the niffler and held it close to his chest.

“Thank you. Sorry. I didn’t realise you were you,” Newt said while the niffler stared up at Percival with a smug look and a squeak.

That really should have been the end of matters and Percival resignedly trundled back to his office for a less comfortable lunch break. However half an hour into his doodle which looked eerily like a stick figure chasing a ball of fluff there was a snuffling squeak from near his door. 

A glance up and the niffler stood there and it squeaked again. Sighing Percival stood and shifted into his cat form. From the table he had a vantage point over the room.

“-up I know you can understand me you giant oaf,” the niffler was saying.

“You kiss your mother with that mouth?” Percival asked.

“Mummy needs more exercise if he wants to attract a mate. I don’t do all this running for my own health.”

Percival stared and tried to make sense of what he’d just heard. Admittedly Newt had grumbled about the niffler on a regular basis, how the little bugger was worse than any other niffler he’d ever met had been. It never occurred to Percival that perhaps it was because the niffler had become Newt’s self-appointed personal trainer.

“He doesn’t need any more exercise, his butt is pert enough as is,” Percival replied and wondered why he felt the need to tell the niffler that. It was too late though and he couldn’t exactly obliviate a creature while in his animagus form. Anyway, nobody would know other than the niffler about his slip of tongue. To make up for matters all the same, Percival gracefully jumped off the table and walked up to the thoughtfully muttering creature. As delicately as possible Percival grabbed the niffler by the scruff and padded out of his office and towards Newt’s case.

Some of the aurors saw a sleek tabby with a niffler hanging from its mouth plodding delicately through the bullpen and they said nothing. There were stranger things going on in the department than their boss with a creature in his mouth. Undisturbed Percival managed to find Newt’s case and he jumped down the stairs while he did his best to ignore the niffler’s mutterings about mates and mummy. What Percival didn’t expect was to put the niffler down and for the creature to run out onto the edge of the veranda and start shouting at the top of his little lungs.

“It worked! I told you all Mummy just needed to get fitter to attract a mate”

Creatures began to converge on the screaming niffler with mutters of disbelief. The erumpent snorted in disbelief, the nundu lay down with its head on its paws and listened with some amusement, an occamy slithered closer in interest.

“That’s impossible. Mummy needs coaching in how to woo mates, not fitness,” Pickett clambered down from the tree he’d been in. “I’ve been with him as often as possible and he’s in no way ready to find a mate by himself.”

“Next you’ll be telling us that his potential mate also likes us,” the occamy sighed, “it’s a pipe dream.”

“No, this is his mate,” the niffler pointed proudly at Percival and the creatures all stared at the man in his cat form. It was terrifying to have so many beasts eye him up until the nundu let out what could almost be a laugh.

“A cub!” she exclaimed and lumbered closer to Percival who held his ground.

“I am many things ma’am but a cub I most certainly am not,” he muttered darkly and eyes went wide. The sound of feet rushing down into the case scattered the creatures before anything else could be said.

“I like you,” the nundu said over her shoulder lowly as she disappeared into the shadows, “for now.”

Percival slunk under the bench and out of sight as Newt hurried into the habitats.

“There you are!” the relief was palpable in his voice as he stared down the niffler. He crouched down and patted the beast who preened under the attention. “I thought you’d gotten out again, some people were talking about a stray cat running off with you. I was worried sick.”

“It was your mate running off with him,” the occamy called from her nest. Newt looked up guiltily.

“Sorry, Mummy’s here now,” he cooed back and reached for the jar of bugs.

“Oh sweetheart I’m old enough to be your granny, look at the state of your hair how do you expect to find a mate like this?”

Newt didn’t respond, only shoved some bugs at the occamy who obligingly took them from his hand and snapped at his fingers fondly.

“Silly human. To think you’re writing a book on us and you can’t even tell I’m not a youngling.”

“We really should tell him somehow, shouldn’t we?” the erumpent called over. Other creatures chipped in and began to bicker while Newt rushed from habitat to habitat to try and quiet them with attention and food. It was an ideal moment for Percival to slink out unnoticed.

As much as possible Percival avoided shifting into his animagus form while Newt was in the building from then on. He didn’t wish to suffer the indignity of being judged by a host of creatures and assessed in his suitability as a mate for their Mummy. It was a ridiculous concept and one he didn’t wish to be part of. The plan would have worked too, if only Pickett hadn’t hopped off Newt’s coat unnoticed and pestered Percival until the man sighed and shifted.

“Interesting,” Pickett’s first words struck him as odd, “so you only understand us in your predator form.”

Percival nodded and waited for Pickett to continue.

“I wanted to see if rumours are true, are you fit to be a mate for Mummy,” Pickett continued and Percival was desperate to explain that the situation had been on misunderstanding. Plus any talk of mating he wanted to have with Newt was strictly between them in human form only. He didn’t get a chance to say any of that as Pickett ploughed on.

“Mummy is too young and naïve. I’ve seen you in your bipedal from. Very dark, gloomy. You fell far from your home tree, perhaps you were thrown out. Mummy doesn’t need your sort in his life. He needs warmth, kindness and leniency for his slip ups as he learns. You simply won’t do.”

Percival pulled himself to his full height. He wasn’t about to let a stick tell him who he was and wasn’t good enough for. Any kind of feelings he may have been harbouring for Newt were shoved to the side in favour of indignation.

“Who do you think you are to pick a mate for Newt without his consent and permission? He’s a very capable man who has my utter respect and perhaps should have yours too. Who else would work so hard to make sure you and your friends have a safe, pampered life with him? So buck up your ideas and let him be with who he wants to be,” Percival nodded at the end of his rant and nodded for good measure, “and if it just so happens to be me, I would happily accept that.”

Opposite him Pickett seemed to slowly smile.

“Prove me wrong punk, work for your mate,” he said and the door was flung open behind him. Newt stood there staring at Percival in his cat form crouched opposite Pickett.

“Oh dear, I’m sorry, I hope he wasn’t a bother. Didn’t realise he went for a wander,” Newt scooped Pickett up and Percival shifted back to his human form. He tried to ignore Pickett blowing a raspberry at him and focussed on reassuring Newt that it was all quite okay. As the man and his creature left, Percival sat back down and wondered when he decided that spilling his heart to a creature was a wise decision.

There was a robbery downtown, a jewellery store was emptied without any evidence of a break-in. Percival and his aurors were there, quietly investigating alongside the police. It seemed like a magical break-in, one that would leave to police baffled. Out of the corner of his eye Percival saw movement at the corner of the shop. Instinctively he retreated to a quiet area out of sight and shifted into his cat form. Returning to the scene he watched as the niffler tried to shuffle into the air vent under the window. Silently Percival stalked closer and after a moment’s thought rather than pounce he stuck a paw out and tapped the creature on its rotund bottom. There was an undignified squeak and the niffler whipped round.

“Why you improper brute!”

“Good afternoon,” Percival replied, “you wouldn’t happen to know about what’s going on here, do you?”

“You prejudiced ignorant bastard!” The niffler cried out and Percival huffed. He wasn’t going to tolerate the abuse and prowled closer until they were nose to nose. The niffler noticed the threat and tried to calm.

“I mean. Just because I’m here you can’t go blaming me. I was simply trying to help. The bowtruckle used to open the door had escaped and is hiding behind this vent.”

Percival glanced at the piece of metal the niffler was trying to squeeze behind. If his ears weren’t mistaken there was the sound of soft rustling like a quivering twig shaking in the wind.

“Very well, I shall take over now, thank you. And on your way out please put the pearl necklace and few pieces of diamond onto the floor where they will be found and returned to the rightful owner,” Percival nudged the niffler. “This time I’ll over look you trying to pay yourself. But next time you’ll serve your time.”

He watched the niffler plod out of the shop, throwing his pilfered goods to the floor in a huff. With a light huff he turned to the air vent and began the slow process of coaxing the scared bowtruckle out of its hiding place.

It really shouldn’t have surprised Percival that he would be returning to Newt’s case sooner than he’d really wanted to. He’d found Pickett lurking in his office and Percival really didn’t have the time to be lectured by him while in cat form. So he’d taken it upon himself to take the bowtruckle back to Newt who was probably in his case.

“He must really like you,” Newt had smiled when his creature was returned. “He doesn’t seek anybody else out like this.”

“Perhaps he’s warning me off instead,” Percival said thoughtlessly.

“Warning you off?” Newt’s face scrunched up in confusion. It made Percival’s mind stumble over his words, caught out by his worry of where all the other creatures were.

“I’d like a word with you, in my office. Without any creatures present. Please,” Percival said and turned to flee. He didn’t run from the creatures but there were some things he didn’t want an audience for. Asking Newt out was nerve wracking as it was, he didn’t need a peanut gallery to contend with.

“You’ve been avoiding us,” Pickett’s voice roused Percival from his lunchtime snooze. A low rumbling laughter had him shooting up wide awake.

“Poor little tired cub,” the nundu chuckled, “Mummy been wearing you out?”

Percival stared dumbly at the congregation of creatures around his desk. The case was open, his door shut and the erumpent sat with her backside keeping it firmly shut despite the banging from the other side. Suddenly Percival really regretted now allowing apparition in his office.

“What do you all want?” Percival sighed, resigned to his fate.

“We just wanted to see who makes Mummy so happy. Obviously we’ve groomed him into something good. Niffler’s been ever so proud of whipping him into shape while I’m quite pleased with how homely I’ve made his hair. It looks like a proper nest now. If only he’d stopped messing it up by running his hand through it,” the occamy added. She had gained a few silver feathers since Percival had last seen her. Quietly he wondered how Newt had not spotted that or how he explained it away.

On the table Pickett pulled himself to his full height and Percival automatically zeroed in on him. It wasn’t intentional, his cat instincts flared for a second before he could tamp them down.

“Look little cub, we can all smell you on Mummy. So we thought we’d come and give you our approval, blessing and care instructions,” the nundu cut in. Pickett turned to glare at her.

“Care instructions?” Percival queried in disbelief.

“He needs one good run every other day,” the niffler began.

“His hair needs to be sorted for him, he seems incapable of grooming,” the occamy added.

“Mummy needs to be allowed to make his mistakes, no telling him off,” Pickett waggled a finger at Percival.

“He does better after a good night’s sleep. Bring him down to me in the case before he goes off on another hare brained idea. I’ll imbue him with my smell so nobody will mess with him,” the nundu carried on.

“Mummy is here,” the erumpent said balefully. All eyes turned to Newt standing dishevelled in the doorway.

“Really now?” he gasped in disbelief as he took in the sight of his creatures all sat around Percival. “Back in the case, all of you. I expect better from you than terrorise someone like this. You’re the reason I can’t meet anyone nice and keep them. Go on. Back in you go. You too Pickett. Don’t give me that look.”

All the creatures filed back into the case, Pickett was the last to hop in before Newt closed the lid with a sigh. He stood and looked mournfully at Percival who had morphed back into his human form.

“So sorry about that. I know they can be a bit much,” he clasped a hand over his wrist to stop fidgeting.

“It’s only because they love you,” Percival replied and pulled Newt closer for a light kiss. “They only want the best for their Mummy. And so do I.”

**Author's Note:**

> All things tumblr on @ladyoftheshrimp


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